GREENSBURG - After Hempfield Area went a perfect 27-0 en route to the WPIAL and PIAA championships last year, there was talk that coach Bob Kalp might retire. Although the Spartans had to replace nearly their entire starting lineup from that squad, Kalp returned to the bench and aimed to guide Hempfield Area to its fourth-consecutive district title, and sixth in program history.

Hempfield Area again claimed Class 6A gold on Wednesday at Seton Hill University, as the Spartans captured a dramatic 2-1 victory in 10 innings against rival Greater Latrobe.

After both teams were held scoreless through the first eight innings, the Wildcats struck first in the top of the ninth. The Spartans (20-3) rallied to tie the contest in the bottom of the frame, though, and then under international tiebreaker rules in the 10th, Jessica Persin delivered the winning single.

The top-seeded Spartans and the No. 3 Wildcats split their series in the regular-season, with the Spartans claiming a 3-1 victory at Greater Latrobe, while the Wildcats prevailed 1-0 in the second meeting, at Hempfield Area. The rubber match proved to be the best, however, as the pitching and defense reigned supreme.

Greater Latrobe junior pitcher Kiley Myers and Hempfield Area senior hurler Maddie Uschock kept the opposing offenses off balance and off the bases for the majority of the battle.

The first hit of the game came in the bottom of the second, when Hempfield Area’s Emma Hoffner delivered a leadoff single to center. She was sacrificed to second, and advanced to third on a groundout, but was ultimately stranded.

In the fourth, the Wildcats (12-4) finally produced their first hit, and threatened to score in the process. With one out, Karley Kovatch was hit by a pitch and stole second base. After Uschock struck out the next batter, Wildcats’ right fielder Rebecca Tatone delivered a single to center field. Kovatch rounded third, but ultimately was held at the bag as the throw came towards home. Hempfield Area first baseman Megan Monzo cut off that throw, however, and tossed the ball to second base as Tatone was trying to advance. Tatone was tagged out for the third out of the inning.

From there, neither squad advanced a runner past second base until the bottom of the seventh. Hoffner, the Spartans’ freshman catcher, again opened the frame with a hit. Myers induced a popup from Ashley Orischak for the first out but Allison Podkul followed with a well-placed sacrifice bunt. Although Greater Latrobe third baseman Jordan Novak made the play to retire Podkul, she failed to return to third base in time allowing Hoffner to advance two bases on the play. Myers retired Samantha Kline on a foul out, however, to end the threat and send the game to extra innings.

After a scoreless eighth frame, the Wildcats finally broke through against Uschock in the ninth. Kovatch surprised the Spartans with a bunt single to open the frame. After Kovatch moved to second on a sacrifice, Tatone delivered a wind-aided RBI double to left field to plate the first run.

Myers recorded her 10th strikeout to retire Monzo to open the bottom of the ninth, but the Spartans collected back-to-back infield hits, as Kelsey Tobin and Hoffner both reached, and Tobin’s pinch runner, Emma Glosner, moved to third. Orischak then plated the tying run, courtesy of a sacrifice fly to right field.

Kalp detailed how the Spartans’ remained focused in the situation, in part because of their championship experience.

“We have an advantage because of the success of the past. The kids buy into what we do, and as long as we have life, there’s still a chance that we could win,” he noted.

With the international tiebreaker rules in effect in the 10th, both teams began their frame with a runner at second base. With Jordan Novak in scoring position for the Wildcats, Sarah Blair sacrificed her to third with just one out. The Wildcats then attempted a suicide squeeze with Mia Schweizer at the plate, but Schweizer failed to make contact, and Novak was tagged out by the catcher Hoffner. Schweizer then grounded out for the third out.

“We got aggressive at that point, and I thought we could get the squeeze,” he noted. “She (Uschock) threw a good pitch. We just didn’t get it done.”

In the bottom of the inning, the Spartans initially attempted to have Jessica Persin sacrifice the runner, Podkul, to third. After two failed attempts by Persin, however, Myers was called for an illegal pitch, as she leaned forward off the rubber without delivering. As a result, Podkul advanced to third, and Persin was instructed to swing away. She delivered a single to shallow right-center that plated Podkul for the winning run.

Kalp knew the contest would be low-scoring, and the Spartans’ small-ball approach finally paid dividends over the final two innings.

“We scratched out two runs. The whole game, I was trying to manufacture a run in any way, shape or form,” he stated.

Uschock earned the win, allowing just six hits and two walks in 10 innings, while striking out five batters. Myers, conversely, surrendered five hits and one walk, but fanned 11 batters.

The Wildcats compiled six hits, with Tatone contributing two of them. The Spartans, meanwhile, had just five hits, including three from Hoffner.

“We played a much cleaner game today, but still, didn’t quite get to finish it,” Kozusko said, referencing last year’s lopsided defeat to the Spartans in the title game.

On the other side, Kalp praised the Wildcats’ program.

“We respect them immensely. Every time we line it up, it’s like this. We’re going after each other,” he said. “It’s a badge of pride to win the game when we play each other.”

Both teams qualify for the state postseason, which begins on Monday, June 4. The Spartans will aim for their third-straight PIAA Championship, while the Wildcats hope to hoist a title of their own.

“There’s still gold out there to be had, so we’ll go after that one now,” Kozusko said.